Wilmington Riverfront Walk & Lunch

This will be a “short” walk of about 2-3 miles along the Wilmington Riverfront and then an optional lunch. We will meet at the Tubman-Garrett Riverfont Park and walk to the Russell W. Peterson Wildlife Refuge and back, stopping for lunch along the way. We will basically be following the Riverwalkers path: here is a link to the map: http://www.riverfrontwilm.com/uploads/pdfs/riverwalkers_map_2012.pdf Those not interested in staying for lunch can leave after the walk. I am thinking we can have lunch at Iron Hill Brewery (www.ironhillbrewery.com/wilmington) but I am not tied to that if the group consensus is to go somewhere else (there are numerous restaurants options along the river).

Parking: The closest lot is located at the Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park (Rosa Parks Drive Wilmington, DE 19801) and is free. There is also plentiful parking at free lots near the Shipyard Shops, 900 S. Madison St., the Chase Center on the Riverfront, 800 S. Madison St., and near the Riverfront Market, 1 S. Market St. Some paid parking available near the Amtrak station, 100 S. French St. (at Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd.)

Directions: I 95 exit 6 Proceed to the MARYLAND Ave./Martin Luther King Blvd. Turn RIGHT onto M.L.K. Blvd. Stay in the RIGHT-MOST lane. From MLK BLVD, turn RIGHT onto S. ORANGE ST and left onto WATER STREET. The Riverfront Park is located on Water Street between Market and French Streets across from the Amtrak Train Station (100 South French St Wilmington, DE 19801). Additional Info about the route: Start at the Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park, at Water and South French streets. Twenty-one placards spaced along the walkway tell the history of the Christina River and the city, beginning with the development of industry, shipbuilding, and other transportation here. The Underground Railroad, which ran through Wilmington, is remembered as well, as are efforts to restore wetlands and excavate archaeological sites. Sometimes you can also see the Kalmar Nyckel, a reproduction of the ship that brought Wilmington's first settlers. Dravo Plaza, lined with huge cranes, recalls the city's shipbuilding history and its contributions to World War II. Visitors who make it to the end of the Riverfront will reach the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge. The 225 acres of marshland have become home to many birds and other creatures.

A former member

Hello all, I have made a lunch reservation for Iron Hill Brewery at 12:30 after the first leg of our walk. If you do NOT plan on attending the lunch portion please post a note in the comments so that I can get a better feel for the number of seats we will need. Much appreciated! - Jenn

A former member

Cool .... let me know in advance when you're ready and I'll set it up for ya. Thank you sooo much for your help and I'll look forward to seeing you soon. I hope that you have an easy time finishing up your thesis. By the way, what's it on? Phil

A former member

A former member

Hi David, I didn't cancel I decided to reschedule for a day with nicer weather in order to accommodate the largest number of people. I had several people drop out because of the cold weather And wind. I personally would have been fine with today but I feared there would be a very small turnout, so I thought moving this to a nicer day would be best for everyone. I already apologized for the short notice.

Alright. Sorry for sniping, but you didn't tell me we were doing this with Delco, you didn't tell me you were cancelling and I definitely would have slated some actual activity for the weekend if I'd known you were going to bail. I felt slighted.

A former member

A former member

Due to the winds (and the fact that a lot of people have changed their RSVP to "No"), I am rescheduling this hike. It is very windy in Wilmington today which makes for a very unpleasant walk along the Riverfront. I apologize for the last minute change and hope everyone recieves this in time.

A former member

Hello Everyone!

Thank you for RSVPing for this event. A few things to be aware of:
1) The weather unfortunately will not be as nice as I had originally intended, it is forecasted to be 32 and windy. There may also be some snow on the ground depending on what the weather does today. The entire riverwalk is paved, so no need for hiking footwear - any comfortable shoes will do.
2) The meeting time is 10:45 and we will hit the riverwalk no later than 11:00, so please be prompt to make sure you do not miss the group.

3) This is a co-event between Open Air Wilmington and Delaware County Hiker Meetup groups and the total RSVP at this time is 16 people. I am figuring on having between 10-15 people attend since there are always some no shows. If you cannot make it, please change your RSVP.

A former member

The entrance to the park is across from the Wilmington Amtrak station located at 100 S. French St in Wilmington. Unfortunately the Park itself does not have an exact street address. If you put in Tubman-Garrett River Front Park Wilmington, DE into google maps it will show you more specifically where it is. You can also look at "Street View" in Google maps to get an idea of what it looks like.

A former member

Hi David - We could but the only concern is that I don't want the lunch to end up being too early, because I don't think it will take more than an hour to walk the Reiverwalk. So I figured 11:00 AM for the walk and then about noon for Lunch.

We're about:

If you enjoy hiking, kayaking, sailing, camping or just stopping to smell the roses, this may be the group for you. My intention here is to create a network of folks in the Wilmington area for weekly hikes, frequent day-trips and a few big excursions into the great outdoors. I camp, kayak and sail, but there's really no experience necessary. If you'd rather take pictures of deer than shoot them, you'll fit in. If your idea of roughing it includes a Coleman grill and running water, you'll fit in. If you can't tell starboard from port or tie a bowline, I can show you... and you'll fit in.